New Collector Purchasing Coins From Ebay

Yes it's not just something you read about . You have to learn to feel it inside you . If after some time you think you've mastered it , don't stop educating yourself , because even a seasoned collector sometimes has trouble telling if a certain coin has been cleaned or not .

Avoid coins where the pic is at a funny angle, or poor lighting. Sometimes that is a way to hide problem areas. I personally avoid a seller if every coin they have for sale is super shiny. (well, old coins) Also sellers that over hype everything. "MS++++". Make sure the seller offers returns.

Unless you know what to look for, it's hard to tell what is details and what isn't and it's worse when you can only tell via a picture.

With low cost coins I generally am comfortable if they are MS, with higher end coins I buy slabbed from ebay. I assume the grade is accurate. Most of the times it is, a few times it's not. I do check the slabbed website to make sure the coin is real and if the verification website has a picture I look at that also. Sometimes the grade isn't right and I'll ask the seller for a better price. I can always walk away if I don't like the price or the coin.

But saying all that, if you can find a local coin shop chances are the prices are better locally and you can see the item.

Your final option is to bypass ebay and buy from a dealers website. I use Allen's Coin Shop in Ohio and recommend them, they have great prices and ship super fast. And their grades tend to be conservative. I've always been pleased with what I get.

All of the above is great advice. My first thoughts were to look at pics online of slabbed coins labeled as improperly cleaned vs. MS examples.

Remember shiny does not mean mint condition/valuable. You can polish a worn coin to be very shiny...and many ebay coins are like this.

As a newbie another thing you need to realize is that grading companies are not consistent, and it is not rare to find problems with their evaluations.
http://goccf.com/t/346174#2967242
Take heed to what is often said here on CCF to buy the coin and not the slab.

Slabbed coins look great and can be fun to collect, but like everything else, do your homework. Understand that grading is not a science. The same coin broken out and resubmitted is never guaranteed the same grade - even by the same company.

While the above fact may not be too important for coins of lesser value, when a one point elevation in grade is marketable at a price of thousands of dollars more, then the pricing becomes about what the ink on the label says rather than the actual coin.

As has been said - post on this forum and ask questions (you already have a smart start in doing this). We are here to help.

To the Forum.

Before you buy,
1. Compare the coin with a known catalog. Look for any signs of design being off. Pay attention to the type of fonts of the letters and numbers.
2. Compare the diameter and weigh. Ask the seller if not mentioned.
3. Post here when in doubt.
4. Read the reviews of the seller.

Are you collecting US coins or world coins?

I've bought quite a number of nice coins on ebay. I agree with the others to start with inexpensive coins to learn the ropes a bit. Other questions / thoughts:

1) if it seems too good to be true, it probably is
2) I look at hundreds if not thousands of listings for every coin I actually buy; be very patient and selective
3) there are deals to be had sometimes; I find it is helpful to look at a seller's other listings sometimes - if all of their coins have the same "look", something funny is probably going on